Secret Path as a scale
Eleven steps from #737054, built by moving lightness in OKLCh and keeping the hue where it is. Every step is gamut-mapped by giving up chroma, never by clipping channels — clipping is what turns a light blue purple.
| Stop | Hex | OKLCh L | Chroma | On white | On black | APCA on white | ΔE00 from the step above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | #faf7d7 | 97.0% | 0.042 | 1.09:1 | 19.34:1 | 0 | — |
| 100 | #efeccd | 93.8% | 0.042 | 1.19:1 | 17.58:1 | 9 | 2.2 |
| 200 | #dad7b8 | 87.4% | 0.042 | 1.46:1 | 14.42:1 | 22 | 4.7 |
| 300 | #c6c2a4 | 81.0% | 0.042 | 1.80:1 | 11.69:1 | 33 | 5.0 |
| 400 | #b1ae90 | 74.6% | 0.042 | 2.25:1 | 9.35:1 | 44 | 5.5 |
| 500 | #9d9a7d | 68.2% | 0.042 | 2.84:1 | 7.38:1 | 55 | 6.0 |
| 600 | #8a876a | 61.8% | 0.042 | 3.65:1 | 5.75:1 | 64 | 6.6 |
| 700 | #777458 | 55.4% | 0.042 | 4.75:1 | 4.43:1 | 73 | 7.3 |
| 800 | #656246 | 49.0% | 0.042 | 6.23:1 | 3.37:1 | 81 | 7.0 |
| 900 | #3c391f | 34.0% | 0.042 | 11.71:1 | 1.79:1 | 97 | 13.9 |
| 950 | #151200 | 18.0% | 0.038 ·capped | 18.78:1 | 1.12:1 | 105 | 13.2 |
What is true of this ramp
- 10 of the 10 adjacent pairs differ by ΔE00 2 or more. Every step here is a step a reader can see.
- The tightest pair is 50 to100, at ΔE00 2.2.
- 1 step had to give up chroma to stay inside sRGB — 950. A wider display would show it more vividly.
- 4 steps clear 4.5:1 on white (700, 800, 900, 950), and 7 on black (50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600).
Harmonies from Secret Path
complement
the hue directly opposite, at the same lightness. #6b6c87 (+180°)
analogous
the two neighbours 30° either side. #7e6b54 (+-30°), #66745b (+30°)
split complement
the two hues either side of the opposite, 30° apart from it. #5e7187 (+150°), #776880 (+210°)
triad
the circle divided in three. #547480 (+120°), #806575 (+240°)
tetrad
the circle divided in four. #527775 (+90°), #6b6c87 (+180°), #856568 (+270°)
The ramp as CSS
:root {
--secret-path-50: #faf7d7;
--secret-path-100: #efeccd;
--secret-path-200: #dad7b8;
--secret-path-300: #c6c2a4;
--secret-path-400: #b1ae90;
--secret-path-500: #9d9a7d;
--secret-path-600: #8a876a;
--secret-path-700: #777458;
--secret-path-800: #656246;
--secret-path-900: #3c391f;
--secret-path-950: #151200;
}